THE CRUST: Following recipe below, make and bake “Rich, Flaky, Easy-Roll Pie Dough” or pre-bake a refrigerated piecrust.

THE FILLING: Meanwhile, mix sugar, cinnamon and salt; toss with apples. Heat butter in a large (11- to 12-inch), deep skillet over medium-high heat until it looks and smells pale nutty brown. Add apple mixture; cover and cook until they soften and release their juices about 7 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until juices thicken to a light syrup, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch, brandy, and vanilla in 1 cup of water; stir into apple mixture until it thickens, less than a minute. Transfer apples to a jelly roll pan to cool quickly; refrigerate or set in a cool place until apples cool to room temperature.

THE CRUMBLE: Meanwhile, mix flour, oatmeal, sugar, and cinnamon; stir in butter with a fork until well combined. Use hands to form clumps.

THE PIE: Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pour cooled apples into baked crust. Sprinkle crumble over apples. Bake until apples are bubbly and crumble is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly or to room temperature and serve.

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal blade to combine. Add butter; toss to break up butter cubes and coat with flour. Plus 4 or 5 times, 1 long second each. Break cream cheese and shortening into flour mixture; toss to coat. Pulse another 4 or 5 times, one long second each, until fats are pea and pebble size. Add water; pulse twice, one long second each, to evenly distribute the water (dough will not have come together). Dump mixture into a bowl; press with palm of hand to form a cohesive ball.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap; press each into a thick disk. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. (Can be refrigerated 2 days or frozen 2 months)

Set dough disc on a floured work surface; roll into a 14-inch circle. Fold dough in half, and quickly lift dough into pie plate and unfold. Lift edge of dough with one hand and press dough into pan sides with other hand so that dough fits in pan and is not stretched in any way. Trim excess pastry dragging on the work surface. Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with lip pan and flute. Refrigerate dough until firm, about 30 minutes. Using a fork, prick pie shell at 1/2-intervals. Press a 12-inch square of heavy-duty aluminum foil inside pie shell and weight with several heavy-duty aluminum foil balls tightly packed in the plate.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake pie shell checking occasionally for ballooning, until crust is firmly set, about 15 minutes. (If it balloons, just prick it and it should deflate.) Remove foil, and continue to bake until crust is crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes longer.

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About Sharon Damelio

I love to cook and to write–both of which I learned at my parents’ elbows. After graduating from college, I worked at Fine Cooking magazine as the Assistant Web Editor. After two glorious years there, I returned to graduate school and now work at a nonprofit in Atlanta. In the kitchen, I fancy myself the culinary version of an armchair-traveler, but I’m also a devoted baker. Some days, when work is overwhelming and the world seems bleak, methodically creating a batch of bread, cookies, or scones is all the relaxation I need.

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Based on testing I’ve done, I’d say you could increase the yogurt to 2 cups and add 1 1/2 cups unprocessed wheat bran to the dry ingredients. You could also substitute 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup molasses for the sugar. That should give you a pretty good bran muffin.

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